The Long Season

... about ordinary lives of ordinary people, which, due to its amazing details and filmography explains a lot, not only about China, but about the ex-USSR and the Eastern Europe.

This is the first humane look, without the hand-wringing so common among the Eastern European "independent" film-makers, at what and how the transformation of the 90ies really happened and what it meant (not much, either good or bad) for the ordinary people.

Overall, this is an excellent multi-decade multi-character character study, which, I am sure will be included in movie schools and anthropology curriculas for decades to come.

10/10.

It is not only the suspense story itself, but also the beautiful work that presents the truth of life with a mixture of joy and sorrow through the description of life and people. The suspense is part of the story, and the core is life and destiny.

At the first few episodes, it starts out a bit slow. I also confuse by the different time narratives. When it comes to build up more characters likes Wang Yang, Shen Mo and brother, as compared to the suspenseful dismemberment case, it is more attractive about the fate of these people. The more I feel empathy for the murder, the more I sense about impermanence of life.

The success of the TV drama is not only reflected in the restoration of the sense of time in the props and scenery, but also the character creation and the actors' subtle performance. Though I'm not a native Putonghua speaker, I can still understand their effort in picking up a perfect Northeastern Chinese accents. Wang Xiang and Gong Biao in the play, regardless of their accents or demeanor, are exactly like our uncles and fathers in real life! Plus, the lighting and music are exceptional good.

This TV show triggered self-compassion for my own midlife crisis.

Yes, you may not encounter the sad life in this series, but you will definitely get older. Even the most powerful people will get old, and when that time comes, how to live decently?

It does suck to have your wife and children die abnormally and your best friend die in a car accident like Wang Xiang in this title, but it's even worse to face your own old age. The good thing is that the screenwriter gives a more positive and optimistic attitude, which seems to encourage us viewers not to be afraid of getting old. But specifically for each individual, it may not always be that easy.

Frankly, I've started to have to face some of the signs of aging, my mind gets older sometimes, and trying to act young seems to make me cringe because appearances can't hide it.

Let's hope I get the same optimistic ending, like the ending line: look forward, don't look back!

Snapping my fingers once in a while, shattering the distance between the distant past and reality.

I gave this 10 stars, for very specific reasons, both technical and artistic, which are detailed below.

This is a superb production; it honours the thriller genre, which has become a very sophisticated genre in recent years, but also brings its own spirit, at times lively and charming, at others very dark.

The story takes place in two eras: 2017, or 'now', and 1997; the visual recreation of the earlier period is meticulous, as well realised as a very good feature film; and the cultural and social fabric of that time, its complexities and contradictions, is beautifully evoked. Events are centred around the Hualin Steel Works, a huge factory, more like a small city with its own housing, hospital, and a large security force. The Steel Works is in steep financial decline; the middle-aged workers belong to the old China of Mao-style Communism ("I was a Model Worker!" says Wang Xiang), while the younger characters belong to the new China, still in its infancy. Economic fears, severe personal financial fears, and fear of what the future holds, pervade the community; corruption and crime are high, and, Wang Xiang, the hero of the story, struggles to be a good man in society where the costs of doing good are high, and where the community and many of those close to him have stopped believing in the morals of the past.

The narrative style is subtle, sophisticated and genuinely enthralling. The story unfolds slowly; the interwoven timelines blend gently, jumps in time at first catch you unawares. The story contains many minor characters, some of whom graduate to major characters; facts and details, hints and suggestions, are revealed here and there; a lot of guesswork and deduction is required of the viewer. Slowly the dark threads are drawn together. There is a thematic thread about 'fate', in the shape of forces outside personal control; and much of the cast consists of anti-heroes (those trying to do the right thing, but failing), and sympathetic villains (forced into wickedness by desperation), while the truly evil lurks for a long time in the shadows.

To aid with the viewer grappling with this perplexity and darkness, the script is generous with character comedy, particularly in the 'now' timeline, woven together with scenes of friendship and unresolved sadness.

The soundtrack is excellent; the show is visually cinematic; the acting is wonderful (Qin Hao, who plays Gong Biao, for example, executes one of the most convincing performances of aging 20 years that I have ever seen, so good that it was hard to believe he played both roles). My Chinese guide tells me the dialogue is also rich in idiom, accent and dialect.

In short, this is a brilliant and unique work of story-telling that both honours the genre and goes beyond it.

Quite easily the best, most well made Mainland Chinese drama I have ever seen. A true crime story that goes way beyond the crime itself, as it touches on society, human nature and so much more. Everything from the cinematography to details of every character and scene is carefully constructed. The setting is distinctively Northeastern China and China during that time. Not everything should or needed to be painted roses, and I believe The Long Season could serve as a vital lesson to those in charge of this department in China in determining what makes a good TV show. The leads, especially Fan Wei delivers a performance of the ages. The characters are so well sculpted and their relationship with each other are so authentic and true. This is one powerful drama that uniquely celebrates character development and character faults and hits hard long after the end credits. Oh yes, and the end credit, each one featuring a different song to reflect the mood of the episode, is the cherry on top.